Owner launches fundraiser to restore rotting miniature railway at Willen Lake

The owner of the sadly neglected Willen Lake miniature railway has launched a public fundraiser to restore the track and train to its former glory.

Luke Clarke wants to raise £15,000 to re-lay the track, refit the carriages and give the engine an overhaul.

The turntable also needs welding and repairing.

Luke’s GoFundMe appeal states: “I’m the owner of willen miniature railway at Willen Lake in Milton Keynes. I’m reaching out in the hopes that I can get some help to rebuild and repurpose it.”

It adds: "There’s so much to do...“But this business is some 30 years old and literally part of the history in Milton Keynes. It it would be such a shame to see it go to nothing.”

Luke said the money raised will be used for materials and labour on site, including any new safety measures that must be added to enable the train to run again.

The Willen railway opened in 1989, when tiny carriages took people on a scenic half mile trip around the lake. It fast became an iconic part of the city and thousands of people have happy memories of riding on it.

At first the carriages were pulled by a steam engine made by Frank Kenny as a scale model of Britannia. This was followed by a narrow gauge steam locomotive called Judy and later another engine known affectionately as Tinkerbell. Later still, the carriages were pulled by a mini diesel engine.

But in 2020, at the height of Covid, the train rides suddenly stopped, along with all other public attractions during lockdown. However, 2021 came and went and the railway never re-opened.

Today the shed that was used an an engine room remains firmly locked but the train’s carriages are strewn in different parts of the track, slowly rotting away and filled with leaves and debris.

Last summer the Citizen published pictures of the rotting remains and hundreds of people were shocked and saddened to see them.

"That's gutting to see,” said one reader. “I remember riding that as a kid. Should at least be restored and displayed somewhere as it was such a big part of lots of our childhoods and memories.”

Today, Luke is hoping he can raise the necessary cash to revive the railway. But so far his only donation is £20.

“Please, please get behind this and support a good cause. Thank you all for your time,” he said.

You can view his GoFundMe appeal here.

Meanwhile, volunteers from the Milton Keynes Model Engineering Society (MKMES) are running a successful miniature railway at Caldecotte Lake, giving children rides for just £1.

They have previously said they would like to take over the Willen Lake train and restore it to be used at Caldecote. But their enquiries to Willen Lake drew a blank, they said.

A spokesperson for the society said: "The wooden parts have rotted, the wheels are missing and the metal is rusty. It’s such a shame,” said a spokesman for the society.

“We have no idea where the engine is. Hopefully it’s safely stored away inside the shed. And we don’t know why the railway has closed. We would be very keen to restore and use the carriages though.”